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Building Tips and technical articles. => Building techniques => Topic started by: Charles Meeks on August 30, 2017, 02:17:10 AM
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I am building a Sterling F-51 for my 19 year old son. He loves to crash so a 20 point finish is NOT important. I had read in the 1/2 A forum that someone used medical tape but glued down the non sticky side instead of whet I tried. I used Johnson and Johnson 1" medical tape. I had read about Mono coat hinges and tried the same with the medical tape. I pulled off 2 strips about a foot long and laid one sticky side up, one sticky side down and overlapped them about a quarter of an inch. I cut them into 1" strips and installed them. The adhesive is good but I rubbed them down with Ambroid glue. Looks nice. Will have to see how they hold up.
Best Regards,
Charles Meeks
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Just curious charles.. why not good old fashion cloth hinges?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
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A large point of tape hinges is to avoid using glue.
Tape hinges work well, although on most surfaces, with glow fuel, the life is limited. Cleaning with rubbing alcohol and reapplying when necessary is the answer.
On electric power tape hinges last a long time, years even.
Phil
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Regular crystal clear tape will do fine. DLG world is using it all the time.
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The medical tape I am using is thin nylon with adhesive on one side. I have a wife and 2 kids and a very demanding job. I do my best to find the TIME and MONEY for my model plane addiction. Very often the time and the money don't always align. As was the case this week I wanted to continue working on a plane but did not have the great Tom Morris hinges so I experimented. I have spent a total of about $30.00 on modeling this year and have only been flying 2 times. As soon as I am able I am going to make an order with Brodak and Stunt Hanger. I haven't paid dues to AMA or my local club because that money is feeding my family, buying shoes,etc. I am not in dire circumstances but my family is my number one priority. If I experiment and use a product I have around the house and I am able to get some flight time with my son before he decides he doesn't want to anymore I am just fine with that, even if it means that I didn't use NYLON TAFFETA.
Best Regards,
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This may not be applicable to what you are talking about in this post Charles but the hinges that Tom Morris uses is the material that Aircraft Spruce sells to cover UltraLite aircraft. Tom told me this a few years back. You can buy it by the yard pretty cheap and a yard is a lifetime supply. Just a tip for the future if you want.
Mike
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the RC foamy guys have been doing this for a while, it works good for them.
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I am concerned that the adhesive on medical tape will first slip, due to soft adhesive and finally dry out and separate. It is awfully thick, especially when doubled for the adhesive switch over.
Look into a search on figure eight thread hinging. Cheap, easy, low bend resistance, and durable. My only choice for small models. I use Spectra thread because I have it for use as control lines, but dental floss or just any sewing thread will give you more strength than you will ever need.
I have also been using full span over/under hinges of polyspan to good effect. It disappears under most finish regimes and hasn't failed me yet. It has the advantage of completely sealing the hinge line aerodynamically.
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I am concerned that the adhesive on medical tape will first slip, due to soft adhesive and finally dry out and separate. It is awfully thick, especially when doubled for the adhesive switch over.
Look into a search on figure eight thread hinging. Cheap, easy, low bend resistance, and durable. My only choice for small models. I use Spectra thread because I have it for use as control lines, but dental floss or just any sewing thread will give you more strength than you will ever need.
I have also been using full span over/under hinges of polyspan to good effect. It disappears under most finish regimes and hasn't failed me yet. It has the advantage of completely sealing the hinge line aerodynamically.
Regular sewing thread will get you in the air for a weekend but it will wear out surprisingly fast compared to dental floss or spectra fishing line. Now it might just be the thread I had available then, but I had to redo the hinges after only a couple outings.
Phil
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I have made cloth hinges with Coverite Fabric. Cut strips 1" or so wide, place two strips face to face with the adhesive on the inside, use a sewing machine and zip a seam down the middle. Result is a fuel proof, sealed hinge material that can be applied with an iron. It can be covered in any conventional way or left as is.
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Yesterday I applied cloth hinges to my Sterling YAK 9 project. I've always used Taffeta from the fabric store. I apply 2 coats of SIGMENT to the wood as a base first. Then I simply "paint" on the hinges using pure thinner. The thinner dries almost instantly and the thin cloth virtually disappears under a silkspan & dope finish. This works for me.
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Yesterday I applied cloth hinges to my Sterling YAK 9 project. I've always used Taffeta from the fabric store. I apply 2 coats of SIGMENT to the wood as a base first. Then I simply "paint" on the hinges using pure thinner. The thinner dries almost instantly and the thin cloth virtually disappears under a silkspan & dope finish. This works for me.
What are you using as "thinner" in this case ?
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What are you using as "thinner" in this case ?
I used ordinary cheap lacquer thinner. After the hinges are stuck down I apply a smooth coat of Sigment to seal them well.